Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics of Vehicles, 3rd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Aerodynamics is a major factor in the design and development of vehicles, whether they are passenger or commercial road vehicles, race cars, trains or air vehicles. In the early days of vehicle aerodynamics, the major goals were improved fuel economy and speed gain via drag reduction, and the improvement of occupant safety and comfort through minimization of the effects of aerodynamic instability. However, with the development of faster ground vehicles and high-speed road and train transportation infrastructures, the induction of wind noise due to aerodynamic flow instability, and aeroacoustics becoming another significant design consideration, aeroacoustics have become integral to vehicle aerodynamic design. Though drag reduction and wind noise control are the primary considerations for passenger and commercial vehicles, race cars and high-performance road and street cars require the creation of an aerodynamic downforce for better traction and cornering. Thus, aerodynamics has become the single most important aspect in the design of race and performance vehicles. In addition, it was recently observed that significant drag reduction and, hence, improved fuel economy can be achieved when road vehicles are driven in convoy, which is called platooning; the same phenomenon is used in racing for increased speed, which is called drafting.

Road and track testing, wind-tunnel experiments and computer simulations are the three tools used in vehicle aerodynamics. These approaches have their advantages and limitations. Correlating the results of these approaches for the same vehicle is challenging, and improving the correlations between these approaches is an ongoing process. As such, newer on-road and wind-tunnel measurement techniques and CFD methodologies are continuously evolving. Additionally, in laboratory environments, efforts are ongoing to include the effects of real-life road conditions, such as the impact of wind gusts or crosswinds, on vehicle performance, stability and control. In recent decades, considerable and ongoing improvements have been made in these areas.

We have planned a Special Issue of the journal Fluids dedicated to recent developments in experimental and modeling methodologies in vehicle aerodynamics and aeroacoustics. Potential broad topics for submission include the following:

• Road, train, air and race vehicle aerodynamics;
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and simulation of vehicle internal and external flows;
• Wind-tunnel testing of vehicles;
• Road and track testing of ground vehicles;
• Fundamentals of vehicle aerodynamics;
• Drag reduction and flow control methodologies for vehicles;
• Wind-tunnel aeroacoustic measurements and testing techniques;
• Modeling and simulation of ground vehicle aeroacoustics;
• Wind noise reduction methodologies;
• Road vehicle platooning and driving in proximity in racing;
• Crosswind stability of ground vehicles;
• Replication of on-road conditions in wind-tunnel experiments;
• CFD–wind-tunnel correlation of aerodynamic and aeroacoustic measurements.

Prof. Dr. Mesbah Uddin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fluids is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.